Wetland hydrology and ecohydrology (PLE day 3)

Student’s installing a shallow, surface well in Pymatuning Creek Marsh.

Today we continued discussing wetland hydrology, with a particular focus on ways that biota influence the hydrology of wetlands. This led to an examination of peatland hydrology, where the characteristics of the peat (e.g., botanical composition, degree of decomposition) have large effects on the hydrology of the ecosystem. We spent the afternoon at Pymatuning Creek Marsh in nearby Ohio, where we installed a few surface wells along a vegetation gradient in the marsh and the students began learning some common wetland plants and starting their plant collections. The running “must-know” plant list has begun!